The components of spatial thinking: empirical evidence
Autor(a) principal: | |
---|---|
Data de Publicação: | 2018 |
Outros Autores: | |
Tipo de documento: | Artigo |
Idioma: | por |
Título da fonte: | Boletim Paulista de Geografia |
Texto Completo: | https://publicacoes.agb.org.br/boletim-paulista/article/view/1473 |
Resumo: | This paper begins with a short discussion of concepts of spatial thinking skills and the instruments available to measure them. Next, the paper briefly describes the development of the Spatial Thinking Ability Test (STAT). Differences in the performance of 446 junior high, high school, and university students are explored and tested for statistical significance. In addition, the test scores are analyzed using factor analysis to identify underlying spatial thinking components and to determine if the identified components support the structure of spatial thinking proposed by other researchers. Students at all levels displayed similar performance patters; scores for all students were uniformly higher for some questions than others, offering some support for the argument that spatial thinking is composed of more than one skill or ability (in addition to the widely accepted spatial visualization and orientation abilities). We hypothesized that factor analysis would identify independent components of spatial thinking by generating factors that reflected the eight components of previous researchers’ spatial thinking conceptualizations that were represented by questions in the STAT. Our analysis of STAT scores, however, offers relatively little support for the existence of the independent spatial thinking components hypothesized in the literature. The analysis does suggest that spatial thinking is almost certainly not a single ability but comprised of a collection of different skills. Based on the clusters indentified by the analysis, the following spatial thinking components emerge: map visualization and overlay, identification and classification of map symbols (point, line, area), generalized or abstract Boolean operations, map navigation or way-finding, and recognition of positive spatial correlation. |
id |
AGB-SP1_6d5196ca6662e2943f60a7134363a7ad |
---|---|
oai_identifier_str |
oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/1473 |
network_acronym_str |
AGB-SP1 |
network_name_str |
Boletim Paulista de Geografia |
repository_id_str |
|
spelling |
The components of spatial thinking: empirical evidenceSpatial thinkingvisualizationspatial relationsorientationspatial thinking ability test.This paper begins with a short discussion of concepts of spatial thinking skills and the instruments available to measure them. Next, the paper briefly describes the development of the Spatial Thinking Ability Test (STAT). Differences in the performance of 446 junior high, high school, and university students are explored and tested for statistical significance. In addition, the test scores are analyzed using factor analysis to identify underlying spatial thinking components and to determine if the identified components support the structure of spatial thinking proposed by other researchers. Students at all levels displayed similar performance patters; scores for all students were uniformly higher for some questions than others, offering some support for the argument that spatial thinking is composed of more than one skill or ability (in addition to the widely accepted spatial visualization and orientation abilities). We hypothesized that factor analysis would identify independent components of spatial thinking by generating factors that reflected the eight components of previous researchers’ spatial thinking conceptualizations that were represented by questions in the STAT. Our analysis of STAT scores, however, offers relatively little support for the existence of the independent spatial thinking components hypothesized in the literature. The analysis does suggest that spatial thinking is almost certainly not a single ability but comprised of a collection of different skills. Based on the clusters indentified by the analysis, the following spatial thinking components emerge: map visualization and overlay, identification and classification of map symbols (point, line, area), generalized or abstract Boolean operations, map navigation or way-finding, and recognition of positive spatial correlation.Boletim Paulista de Geografia2018-07-07info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionArtigo avaliado pelos Paresapplication/pdfhttps://publicacoes.agb.org.br/boletim-paulista/article/view/1473Boletim Paulista de Geografia; v. 99 (2018): Edição especial: I Encontro Internacional de Cartografia Escolar e Pensamento Espacial; 161-1682447-09450006-6079reponame:Boletim Paulista de Geografiainstname:Associação dos Geógrafos Brasileiros - Seção São Pauloinstacron:AGB-SPporhttps://publicacoes.agb.org.br/boletim-paulista/article/view/1473/1343Copyright (c) 2018 Robert S. Bednarz, Jongwon Leeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessBednarz, Robert S.Lee, Jongwon2018-10-24T17:08:58Zoai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/1473Revistahttps://publicacoes.agb.org.br/boletim-paulistaPUBhttps://publicacoes.agb.org.br/boletim-paulista/oaiegirotto@usp.br || boletimpaulistageografia@gmail.com2447-09450006-6079opendoar:2018-10-24T17:08:58Boletim Paulista de Geografia - Associação dos Geógrafos Brasileiros - Seção São Paulofalse |
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
The components of spatial thinking: empirical evidence |
title |
The components of spatial thinking: empirical evidence |
spellingShingle |
The components of spatial thinking: empirical evidence Bednarz, Robert S. Spatial thinking visualization spatial relations orientation spatial thinking ability test. |
title_short |
The components of spatial thinking: empirical evidence |
title_full |
The components of spatial thinking: empirical evidence |
title_fullStr |
The components of spatial thinking: empirical evidence |
title_full_unstemmed |
The components of spatial thinking: empirical evidence |
title_sort |
The components of spatial thinking: empirical evidence |
author |
Bednarz, Robert S. |
author_facet |
Bednarz, Robert S. Lee, Jongwon |
author_role |
author |
author2 |
Lee, Jongwon |
author2_role |
author |
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv |
Bednarz, Robert S. Lee, Jongwon |
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv |
Spatial thinking visualization spatial relations orientation spatial thinking ability test. |
topic |
Spatial thinking visualization spatial relations orientation spatial thinking ability test. |
description |
This paper begins with a short discussion of concepts of spatial thinking skills and the instruments available to measure them. Next, the paper briefly describes the development of the Spatial Thinking Ability Test (STAT). Differences in the performance of 446 junior high, high school, and university students are explored and tested for statistical significance. In addition, the test scores are analyzed using factor analysis to identify underlying spatial thinking components and to determine if the identified components support the structure of spatial thinking proposed by other researchers. Students at all levels displayed similar performance patters; scores for all students were uniformly higher for some questions than others, offering some support for the argument that spatial thinking is composed of more than one skill or ability (in addition to the widely accepted spatial visualization and orientation abilities). We hypothesized that factor analysis would identify independent components of spatial thinking by generating factors that reflected the eight components of previous researchers’ spatial thinking conceptualizations that were represented by questions in the STAT. Our analysis of STAT scores, however, offers relatively little support for the existence of the independent spatial thinking components hypothesized in the literature. The analysis does suggest that spatial thinking is almost certainly not a single ability but comprised of a collection of different skills. Based on the clusters indentified by the analysis, the following spatial thinking components emerge: map visualization and overlay, identification and classification of map symbols (point, line, area), generalized or abstract Boolean operations, map navigation or way-finding, and recognition of positive spatial correlation. |
publishDate |
2018 |
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2018-07-07 |
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Artigo avaliado pelos Pares |
format |
article |
status_str |
publishedVersion |
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv |
https://publicacoes.agb.org.br/boletim-paulista/article/view/1473 |
url |
https://publicacoes.agb.org.br/boletim-paulista/article/view/1473 |
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv |
por |
language |
por |
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv |
https://publicacoes.agb.org.br/boletim-paulista/article/view/1473/1343 |
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv |
Copyright (c) 2018 Robert S. Bednarz, Jongwon Lee info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
rights_invalid_str_mv |
Copyright (c) 2018 Robert S. Bednarz, Jongwon Lee |
eu_rights_str_mv |
openAccess |
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv |
application/pdf |
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Boletim Paulista de Geografia |
publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Boletim Paulista de Geografia |
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv |
Boletim Paulista de Geografia; v. 99 (2018): Edição especial: I Encontro Internacional de Cartografia Escolar e Pensamento Espacial; 161-168 2447-0945 0006-6079 reponame:Boletim Paulista de Geografia instname:Associação dos Geógrafos Brasileiros - Seção São Paulo instacron:AGB-SP |
instname_str |
Associação dos Geógrafos Brasileiros - Seção São Paulo |
instacron_str |
AGB-SP |
institution |
AGB-SP |
reponame_str |
Boletim Paulista de Geografia |
collection |
Boletim Paulista de Geografia |
repository.name.fl_str_mv |
Boletim Paulista de Geografia - Associação dos Geógrafos Brasileiros - Seção São Paulo |
repository.mail.fl_str_mv |
egirotto@usp.br || boletimpaulistageografia@gmail.com |
_version_ |
1798046017086554112 |